The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-07-02
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THE TWENTIETH OF JUNE

From Co,nhiU Magazine
Copford Manor House was an awful place.
To be sure was only eighteen, and had just
left school, and might have been supposed to
carry my own brightness about with me; but
there was ghastly desolation about the abode
of my ancestors which was calculated to
auench any youthful spirits at moments
notice | shall never forget my feelings when
1 first beheld it, surrounded by its three
antique moats, crossed by bridges which might
have been Queen Matilda's first historic eff
forts of engineering, and its moudering gray
walls thrown into high relief by background
of funereal frs.
Aunt Alicia never wearied of discoursing oil
the days of our grandeur, when Copford
Manor House entertained royalty, and Black
Gervase, my grandfather some generations
removed, stabbed thirty horses in his stalls,
fed forty guests beneath his roof, and was
famous, among other manly and noble accom-
plishments, for his bold riding, his reckless
gambling and his hard drinking. Nobody, to
look at Copford Manor House in these degen-
crate days, would have given him credit for
the exciting, if somewhat naughty, episodes
which had enlivened his youth.
Ny aunt, in her very proper, if dull, black
satin and unbecoming cap, was the liveliest
figure to be seen ascending the black oak
staircase, which still bore the marks of Black
Gervase's bay mares hoofs when he rode up
the first fight and horsewhipped his head
groom on the upper landing, and the sleek
carriage horses and my uncle's cob were the
sole denizens of the vast gray range Of stables
in the hollow below the hill, where my ances-
tor of pious memory had kept his stud.
Two elderly people like my aunt and uncle
Everybody naturally put Aunt Alicia first
and handful of servants in vast, rambling
old house, only serve to make the size and
loneliness more apparent. | should think for
generations no child had shouted in the dreary
old panelled nurseries, nor lovers had wan
dered in the aged strawberries, where the
syringas and laburnums grew in gnarled con-
fusion. Why my relations maintained con-
dition of things so dull, so monotonous and
so dreary, could never fathom. In spite of
Black Gervase lit sounds a horribly disre-
spectful way to speak of ones great-grand-
father, but | never heard him called anything
else) and his festive behavior, which some
what reduced the ancestral revenues, my
uncle's income would still have suificed to
support three ordinary families in luxury, and
the plate and jewels at Copford were proverb
in the county, The fact was, my aunt was so
absorbed in contemplating the past glories of
the race to which she belonged that she never
thought of enjoying life in the nineteenth CEN
tury, and my uncle had reached an age when
old port, steady carriage horses and shilling
whist were vital matters of existence in his
sight.
l was only an orphan grand niece, very in
significant and unworthy of any notice-only
redeemed from contempt and outer darkness
by the Blessington name and strain. Aunt
Alicia had nieces and nepbews by the score,
nearer by far in point Of relationship than
myself, who fawned and flattered, aud felt
sure their claims to succession to Copford
must be felt by dear aunt and uncle, who were
ready to tear me limb from limb when | went
to stay at Copford Manor House, where an
invitation was slooked upon as royal summons
For my own part was not at all fattered.
| knew my own position quite well, and that
there was no reason to suppose aunt would
have been troubled about me if she could have
helped it; but. in point of fact, | had left
school, and there was no place on earth for
me to go. Had been the psnniless daughter
of any other naval officer on earth my aunt
would have advised my taking q nursery gov
erness' place, and washed her hands of me;
but was a Blessington-a thing that could
not work for its living and disgrace the name.
yet might not starve, for the family credit.
60 was ordered to come and stay at Copford.
easae meekly enough outwardly, and glad
enough of home for the time being, till
could decide how my living must be earned.
For to work | was determined the hideous
role of poor dependent was one which called
all the Blessington pride | owned into arms
against the very thought. Odd that the same
pride my aunt and | shared THAT she had
been her husbands cousin, and boasted that
she was a Blessington in blood as well as in
name) should have driven us to such different
standpoints She thought it shame for a
Blessington to work for her bread; blushed
at the thought of eating the bread Of charity,
even if it came from Blessington's hand.
So looked on Copford as a harbor of re-
fuge-a very stagnant harbor-where ! could
trim my sails and refit before started out to
battle with the storms of life again.
Very stagnant the harbor certainly was. |
used to try and fancy sometimes what the ex
qnsitely smooth bowling green would look
like with tennis nets across it and gay party
at play, or how the polished floor in the long
gallery would do for dancing; bat fancy had
to tell very flattering tale. Once in every
three months my aunt gave dinner party.
was providentially spared from ever assisting
at one of these functions, and twice a year
she had out the family coach for three con-
secutiye days, and made up all her calls in
the neighborbood
Dull dinners and afternoon musicals COM
pleted the list of outside amusements, and
they were somewhat of the nature of angelic
visltatlons in point of numbers and frequency.
Aunt Alicia explained the reason ofthis TO me-
Society IN Sussex" she would say, With a
curve OF her thin lip, sis not what it was in
happier days. Most of the old families have
utterly died out, and their place is taken by
vulgar nouUeaur riches, whom no one knows
As for this neighborhood, the depot at Warn
chester has ruined it. Soldering is all very
well, and more than one Blessington has held
commission in the Guards; but when it
comes to horde of shabby infantry officers
and their underbred wives, one must draw the
line somewhere."
This being the state of affairs, Judge of the
delightful hutter into which ] was thrown,
three weeks after my arrival ut Oopfnrd, by
the news of an infirmary ball, to be held at
the Manchester Assembly Rooms. Aunt
being one of the patronesses, there was no
question as to our being present, but she took
the precaution of arming me for the periIs of
the night by many grave and solemn warnings
as to Ily behavior, judicious selection of part
ners, and like veighty matters; TO all of which
listened with profound attention, but q
joyous heart. had never been to q ball in
all my life, and to have whole blissful night
of waltzing to the strains of the hussar band
on floor which even aunt allowed to be Tex.
cellent for the performing of minuets,n . NOT
even Aunt Alicia's store Of faded maxims had
power to damp the pure ecstasy of my antici
pations.
Being Blessingtap, must needs be nobly
attired, and if anything could have added 4
single drop of bliss to the cup that was already